The present invention relates generally to devices to assist players of board games employing multiple pieces, such as tiles, requiring inverting and collection of game pieces at the completion of play. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus having a cover adapted for placement over the game board which, upon inversion of the game board and cover, collects the game pieces or tiles which are then swept onto a collection tray for visual accounting prior to reuse in the next game.
Numerous board games which exist which employ playing pieces or tiles which are placed on the board to form patterns, words or sequences in varying order. Typically, the games involve numerous pieces which are consecutively placed on the board by various players during progress of the game. At the conclusion of the game, the tiles must be collected and either sorted or, more typically, shuffled and allocated to players for the next game.
Previously, inverting and accounting for the used pieces or tiles involved collecting the tiles from the board one-by-one, or tipping the board to allow the game pieces to slide off in a jumble and placed face down uniformly near the game board or perhaps tumbled into a plastic pouch for player extraction and replay.
It is therefore desirable to have an apparatus and method for inverting game pieces from a board subsequent to a game and placing the pieces on a portable tray or other surface ready for replay.
It is also desirable that safe storage of the tiles or pieces be accommodated between games to avoid loss of the tiles.
The present invention is applicable to board games having various geometries for the board and pieces or tiles. For ease of description, a game having a substantially square board with substantially square flat tiles will be assumed for the exemplary embodiment. The apparatus of the invention includes a first cover having a top with depending sides adapted for placement over the board with tiles in place on the board subsequent to a game. The depending sides extend over the edges of the board in closely spaced relation. Once the cover is inserted over the board, the combined cover and board are inverted allowing the tiles to be supported by the inner surface of the cover. The game board is then removed slowing the tiles to remain in the cover, face down.
Subsequent to removal of the game board, the tiles are flat and inverted. An elongated cutout is provided as a portion of one of the depending sides on the cover. The cutout extends substantially to the inner surface of the cover on which the tiles rest after inversion. A collection tray having at least one flat side is abutted to the cover adjacent the cutout and tiles are transferred from the cover to the tray by sliding or sweeping the tiles through the cutout onto the surface of the tray. The typically arbitrary nature of sliding or sweeping the tiles from their position, as the cover was inverted, onto the tray effectively scrambles the tiles. The inverted position of the tiles prevents players from seeing the designation or enumeration on the face of the tiles while the tiles are quickly pushed or pulled onto the tray with the players"" fingers.
The collection tray incorporates sides which are slightly elevated from the collection surface to restrain the tiles received on the tray. Once all tiles have been dispersed from the cover onto the tray, secrecy of selection of game pieces is guaranteed as play resumes. Accounting for all tiles between games is accomplished by sweeping the tiles in segregated groups to the edges of the collection tray. A divider of predetermined size is then placed between the tiles which have been segregated to the sides. A missing tile is easily seen if uneven groups of tiles exist. Relative sizing of the tray and divider is established based on the tile sizes and configurations for which the invention is employed.
The tiles are then taken from the tray covertly by the players in turn, and positioned in a rack discretely positioned or held privately.
The apparatus and method of the invention will be more clearly understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description.